Bitten Lara out of hospital, now resting at home

PITBULL attack victim Karen Lara was discharged from a private medical facility yesterday and is currently resting at her Arima home after being bitten by two dogs on Sunday night.

Lara, 22, has lacerations to her face and has a hairline fracture along her skull.

Speaking to the Express yesterday, she said owners of the dogs should have been more responsible.

She recalled that she had pitbulls, owned by her family, and they were always carefully monitored.

She described them as good-natured animals.

The family lives at Cinnamon Crescent, Santa Rosa Heights, near the Pinto Road police post.

Around 7 p.m. on Sunday, Lara was outside when the pitbulls attacked.

She was bitten on her face and leg. but the dogs released her when two police officers on duty ran out after hearing the woman's screams.

Officers shot one of the dogs, while the other ran away.

Arima police said they did not know who owned the dogs.

Lara admitted she never considered the Dangerous Dogs Act until now.

In August, the Dangerous Dogs Act was supposed to have been proclaimed, but when a number of animal interest groups began protesting parts of the legislation, it was sent back to the Law Review Commission.

The act, which was released in April this year for public review, lists three breeds of dogs which are considered dangerous—the pitbull terrier or any dog bred from the pitbull terrier family, the fila brasileiro or any dog bred from the fila brasileiro breed and the Japanese tosa.

Section 4 (1) of the act provides that no person shall import into Trinidad and Tobago a dangerous dog, or the semen or embryo of a dangerous dog.

Additionally, Section 5 (1) of the act states that a person who owns a dangerous dog shall ensure the dog is spayed or neutered by a veterinary surgeon within three months of the coming into force of the act, while Section 5 (2) (a) provides that no person shall breed or breed from a dangerous dog.